Quarter I Human Rights Report – 2025
Publication Date: April 26, 2025
Reporting Period: January 1, 2025 – March 31, 2025
Prepared by: Coalition of Somali Human Rights Defenders (CSHRD)
Acknowledgements
The Coalition extends its gratitude to the courageous human rights defenders, journalists, civil society actors, and displaced communities who shared their experiences despite significant risks. We also recognize the work of our field monitors, legal analysts, and medical partners whose documentation efforts made this report possible.
Nota bene:
This report was prepared in line with CSHRD’s commitment to impartiality, transparency, and victim-centered reporting. Names and identifying details are being withheld with privacy and personal security considerations and where necessary to protect the safety of individuals. All efforts were made to verify information through multiple credible sources.
Executive Summary
Between January and March 2025, Somalia’s civic space continued to deteriorate under pressures from both state and non-state actors. Journalists faced arbitrary arrests and intimidation, prisoners of war were subjected to cruel and degrading treatment, and civilians bore the brunt of ongoing armed conflict, particularly in anti-Al-Shabaab operations southern regions of Somalia.
Simultaneously, humanitarian conditions worsened, with mass displacements exacerbating food insecurity and access to basic services.
This Quarter I Report documents key violations of human rights, including:
– Suppression of press freedom through unlawful detention of journalists.
– Torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners of war released from the Lasanod conflict.
– Civilian casualties in military operations against Al-Shabaab.
– Humanitarian crises, including forced displacement and deteriorating access to food, healthcare, and shelter.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Methodology
- Key Findings
3.1 Civic Space under Threat
3.2 Press Freedom Violations
3.3 Treatment of Prisoners of War
3.4 Civilian Impact of the Conflict Against Al-Shabaab
3.5 Humanitarian Situation and Mass Displacements
- Case Studies
Annex 1: Arbitrary Arrest of Journalist Ahmed Warsame
Annex 2: Torture and Malnutrition Among Released POWs
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- References
1. Introduction
In the first quarter of 2025, human rights violations in Somalia intensified as political tensions, armed conflicts, and state repression escalated. Journalists, prisoners, civilians, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) faced systematic abuses, reflecting the broader weakening of democratic and humanitarian safeguards in the country.
2. Methodology
This report relies on:
– Primary Sources: Interviews with victims, witnesses, family members, and independent journalists.
– Secondary Sources: Media reports, legal documents, medical records, and NGO reports.
– Verification: Cross-referencing at least two sources for each documented incident.
– Ethical Standards: Protection of interviewees’ identities and informed consent obtained.
Limitations include restricted access to certain conflict areas and detention facilities.
3. Key Findings
3.1 Civic Space under Threat
The government continued to restrict freedoms of assembly, expression, and association. Human rights defenders and opposition figures faced harassment, detention, and violence.
All ongoing events; from killing, arbitrary arrests of HRDs, and independent media practitioners to targeting political opponents with persecution clearly signal an immense menace facing democracy and freedom of expression in Somalia and all indicate a dramatically shrinking civic space in the horn of Africa nation (Somalia)
3.2 Press Freedom Violations
Independent media came under attack, particularly after journalists interviewed leaders of emerging political parties. Arbitrary arrests were reported. For instance:
On January 25, 2025, armed NISA officers raided (https://x.com/sjs_Somalia/status/1883203310368248125 ) the home of Sharif Abdi in Mogadishu’s Waberi district.
However, family members told SJS that the officers began tracking him after failing to find him at his residence.
Later that evening, NISA officers detained ( https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1177278977734999&id=100063587236668 ) the journalist at another location far from his home.
A family member and one of Sharif’s colleagues told SJS that the NISA officers who detained him were using a mobile tracking device to locate him.
SJS has been informed that the journalist was taken to the notorious NISA detention and torture facility known as Godka Jila’ow in Mogadishu, where he is currently being held.
Family members attempted to visit him but were denied access, leaving them unaware of his safety and well-being.
Sharif, who uses Facebook ( https://m.facebook.com/SharifAbdiM/ ) for his reporting, primarily covers security operations in the Hiiraan region, central Somalia, where he hails from.
In his reports reviewed by SJS, Sharif has been critical of NISA Director Abdullahi Mohamed Ali (Sanbalolshe).
In his last report, published on Saturday, January 25, before his arrest, Sharif discussed the rift between the NISA chief and local clan elders in Hiiraan regarding a planned assault ( https://kaabtv.com/howlgallo-oo-ka-dhan-ah-al-shabaab-oo-ka-socda-gobolka-hiiraan/ ) against Al-Shabaab.
The region has recently witnessed increased inter-clan conflict ( https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Jan/199877/inter_clan_conflict_erupts_on_hiiran_middle_shabelle_border.aspx ) amid the ongoing Al-Shabaab threat.
A government source told SJS that NISA officials were angered by the journalist’s report, prompting NISA Chief Mr. Sanbalolshe, who also doubles as a member of parliament, to order his arrest.
“We strongly condemn the unlawful and continued detention of journalist Sharif Abdi. His arrest is yet another attack on press freedom in Somalia and it poses a threat to wider journalist community who cover issues about security operations and the conflict,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin.
“We call on NISA officials to release Sharif Abdi unconditionally and to end their harassment of journalists who are critical of them and other government officials.”
On 16 January, Shaaciye, ( https://m.facebook.com/shaafici.shaaciye/ ) a journalist known for his critical posts about Somaliland authorities on Facebook, was arrested upon his return to Hargeisa from Mogadishu, where he had resided for a year.
Local journalists informed SJS that Somaliland police raided his home and arrested him following orders from Somaliland Police Commander Mohamed Adan Saqadhi.
Somaliland police officials have not commented on the circumstances surrounding Shaaciye’s detention.
Shaaciye had previously fled Hargeisa, citing threats from Somaliland’s national intelligence due to his critical posts. He spent nearly a year in Mogadishu.
During his time in Mogadishu, Shaaciye continued his journalistic work, frequently posting on his Facebook ( https://m.facebook.com/shaafici.shaaciye/ ) and other platforms, including reports highlighting police corruption and public complaints about the Somaliland police commander.
On 18 January, Shaaciye was reportedly brought before the Maroodi Jeh Court in Hargeisa, where his detention was extended for a week.
On Wednesday, 22 January, he was released from police custody after the intervention of clan elders and on a condition that he refrains from criticizing the police, local journalists and a family member told SJS.
SJS expresses relief at Shaaciye’s release and calls on Somaliland President Abdirahman Abdillahi Irro to ensure that security officials refrain from targeting journalists and media workers who critique the government.
“While we welcome Shaaciye’s release, we strongly condemn the raid on his home and his unjust detention on 16 January, which caused him to spend a week in custody,” said SJS Secretary General Abdalle Mumin.
“Since President Abdirahman Irro’s election victory in November last year, there has been a sense of renewed freedom and safety among journalists and others who had previously fled Somaliland. It is crucial for Somaliland authorities to uphold this atmosphere and honor the president’s campaign promise that no one would be targeted for exercising their freedom of expression,” Abdalle Mumin added. (see Annex 1).
On 9 February 2025, freelance journalist Sharif Abdi, who had been held without a court order by NISA since 25 January 2025, was released. Sharif was kidnapped ( https://sjsyndicate.org/2025/02/02/nisa-chief-must-immediately-free-journalist-sharif-abdi-from-unlawful-detention-in-mogadishu/ ) from Mogadishu’s city center on the night of 25 January by armed NISA officers who tracked his phone, just hours after his home in Waberi district was raided and searched ( https://x.com/sjs_Somalia/status/1883203310368248125 ).
He was held and interrogated at Godka Jilaow, NISA’s notorious torture and detention facility at Boondheere neighborhood. According to Sharif and other sources interviewed by SJS, his repeated interrogations focused on his critical reporting on his Facebook ( https://m.facebook.com/SharifAbdiM/ ) , particularly posts criticizing NISA chief Abdullahi Mohamed Ali (Sanbalolshe) who holds Somali and British citizenship.
For 10 days, Sharif was confined in a narrow, dark, and hot cell with 20 other inmates, including Al-Shabaab suspects. After 10 days, NISA resumed questioning him, focusing on his recent posts about the NISA chief’s trip to the Hiiraan region, where armed inter-clan conflicts ( https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Jan/199877/inter_clan_conflict_erupts_on_hiiran_middle_shabelle_border.aspx ) have affected local communities.
On Sunday afternoon, Sharif was called by officers who informed him that his detention was meant to “discipline him and make him soft so that he won’t write critically in the future.” NISA agents then drove him to the Habar Khadijo building in Shibis district, where he briefly met the NISA chief, Mr. Sanbalolshe. At the meeting, the NISA chief warned him against posting critically in the future before releasing him.
On Friday, 7 February, a government-affiliated clan militia in Lower Shabelle kidnapped journalist Omar Yusuf Mohamed (Omar Guux), who reports for Nabad Somali TV ( https://m.facebook.com/N.S.TV1997/ ), a Facebook-based news platform. Omar was covering local community complaints about militia raids and detentions targeting civilians in and around KM50, Lower Shabelle region.
Omar Guux told SJS that he was locked in an abandoned makeshift house in KM50 before being freed late on the same Friday. He said the militia interrogated him about his report ( https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=1503936407230627&vanity=N.S.TV1997 ) on the disappearance of a local clan elder, who was taken after the militia raided his home on 31 January.
SJS condemns these horrific attacks on journalists in Mogadishu and Lower Shabelle. We call on all parties to respect press freedom and the independence of journalists, including those exposing NISA’s abuses and the crimes of government-affiliated militias.
“The arbitrary detention and intimidation of journalists like Sharif Abdi and Omar Guux highlight the ongoing threats to press freedom in Somalia. No journalist should be kidnapped, tortured, or threatened for simply doing their job,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin.
“We strongly condemn these acts and demand accountability for those responsible. The authorities must take concrete steps to investigate these violations, hold the perpetrators—whether state security agents or clan militias—accountable, and ensure the safety of all journalists. Press freedom cannot exist where impunity prevails,” Mr. Mumin added.
18 March 2025 – The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) and the Somali Media Association (SOMA) condemn the arrest of five Risaala Media Corporation journalists, who were detained today after Somali police raided and shut down their station in Mogadishu.
Armed police officers, led by their commander Abdi Ali, forcibly entered Risaala Media’s station in the Hamar Jajab district of Mogadishu at midday on Tuesday. They ordered the station off-air before arresting all five journalists present.
The radio station and its affiliated channels, including Risaala TV, went off-air shortly afterward. The detained journalists—Ali Ibrahim Abdullahi Suheyfa (reporter), Hamda Hassan Ahmed (female reporter), Mohamed Said Nur (cameraman), Liban Abdullahi Hussein (radio technician), and Abdalla Sharif Ali (cameraman)—were taken to Hamar Jajab police station where they were put on intense interrogation about their coverage on today’s bombing in Mogadishu.
Risaala Media was the first outlet to publish news of Tuesday’s bomb attack ( https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=660180109725439&vanity=risaalatelevision ) targeting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy at the entrance of the presidential palace in Mogadishu, which resulted in casualties.
The journalists said that while in the cell, Banadir Police Commissioner Moalim Mahdi visited them and asked why Risaala reported the bombing attack on the president’s convoy.
As a result of the bombing attack, journalist; Mohamed Abukar Danashe ( https://x.com/sjs_Somalia/status/1902003619789967636 ), who previously worked for Radio Risaala, was among several killed. Dabashe becomes the first journalist killed in Somalia in 2025.
Al-Shabaab had claimed responsibility of the attack. The police officers who raided the station did not have a court warrant. Risaala Media’s management confirmed that the order for the raid and arrests came from Banadir Regional Police Commissioner Mahdi Omar Mumin (popularly known as Moalim Mahdi).
Both Moalim Mahdi and Abdi Ali are former Al-Shabaab defectors who have been incorporated into the Somali police in Mogadishu.
SJS strongly condemns the raid on Risaala Media and the arrest of its journalists. While all five journalists have now been released, SJS demands that Risaala Media and its affiliated channels be allowed to resume their vital role in informing the public.
It is worth noting that this raid and the arrest of Risaala journalists come just a week after Minister of Information Daud Aweis threatened legal action and severe punishment for journalists and media outlets reporting on security failures in Mogadishu, amid growing Al-Shabaab attacks in and around the Somali capital.
“We welcome the freedom of all our colleagues at the Risaala media after they were unlawfully arrested today in Modadishu. This unlawful raid and arrest of journalists for simply doing their job is a blatant attack on press freedom,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin.
“Silencing independent media through intimidation and force only serves to suppress the truth. Independent reporting is crucial for the public to stay informed, hold authorities accountable, and ensure transparency in times of terror attacks. We demand the immediate restoration of Risaala Media and an end to the crackdown on journalists in Somalia,” added Mr. Mumin.
“We strongly condemn the raid on Risaala Media and the detention of five journalists. Such actions undermine press freedom and the vital role of media in informing the public,” said SOMA Secretary General, Mohamed Abduwahab Abdullahi “While we welcome their release, this attack on journalists must not be repeated. Somali government and its police officers must understand that the work of journalists telling the story of what is happening is not a crime.”
On March 26, 2025 – NUSOJ denounces the unlawful disappearance and armed assault of an independent journalist in central Somalia.
At around 11:30 PM, journalist Dalmar was unexpectedly ambushed at the Uunlaaye Hotel in Galkayo by police officers who were identified as part of the unit defending Colonel Mahamud Abdihakim Yusuf, the Puntland Police Commander of the Mudug regional division, according to eyewitness accounts and confirmed information obtained by NUSOJ. Before Dalmar was brutally beaten and forcibly removed from the scene, several gunshots were fired to frighten journalists and bystanders. Another journalist at the assault was unharmed, but a police bullet got under his clothes. Since his whereabouts are still unknown, his safety and wellbeing are of the highest concern.
Dalmar Isseh Ahmed, a journalist with a reputation for professionalism and impartiality, recently published a news report regarding the issuance of national identification cards by NIRA in Galkayo. The report concentrated on the establishment of NIRA operations on the Galmudug side of Galkayo. Subsequent to this report, he was harassed and threatened by local Puntland officials, including the governor of the Mudug region and senior police officers. They asked that he discontinue reporting on issues related to the federal government and the administration of NIRA operations in the Mudug region, which is jointly administered by Puntland and Galmudug federal member states; ( https://nusoj.org/2025/03/26/nusoj-denounces-the-unlawful-disappearance-and-armed-assault-of-an-independent-journalist-in-central-somalia/ )
3.3 Treatment of Prisoners of War
Prisoners released from the Lasanod conflict displayed signs of severe malnutrition, physical torture, and denial of medical care. Example: Testimonies from six detainees recorded between February and March 2025 (see Annex 2).
3.4 Civilian Impact of the Conflict Against Al-Shabaab
Military offensives, while targeting Al-Shabaab, resulted in indiscriminate bombings of civilian areas, particularly in Lower Shabelle and Middle Juba regions.
The number of drone attack victims have doubled since ever the war on terror was unleashed in Somalia with UAE drones indiscriminately targeting and killing civilians in Almiskat mountains according to survivors. Local human rights NGOs accuse UAE of targeting civilians in order to push them a way from gold mining areas in Puntland region of Somalia.
The on going conflict has displaced 300,000 locals and got scattered in different regions that are relatively stable in Somalia:
| Number of displaced population | Female | male | Children in percentage | region |
| 150,000 | 80,000 | 50,000 | 70% | Both Shabelle |
| 80,000 | 45,000 | 35,000 | 60% | Hiiraan |
| 60,000 | 40,000 | 20,000 | 55% | Galmudug |
| 10,000 | 7,000 | 3,000 | 53% | Puntland |
| Total | 300,000 |
3.5 Humanitarian Situation and Mass Displacements
Over 250,000 Somalis were displaced in Q1 2025 due to conflict and food insecurity. IDP camps in Baidoa and Beledweyne reported rising cases of malnutrition, waterborne diseases, and lack of protection services. (see the above mentioned chart)
4. Case Studies
Annex 1: Arbitrary Arrest of Journalist Shaaciye
Arrested on February 17, 2025, after interviewing opposition party leader. Detained without charges for 14 days. Released following pressure from domestic and international media rights groups. Shaaciye, a journalist known for his critical posts about Somaliland authorities on Facebook, was arrested upon his return to Hargeisa from Mogadishu, where he had resided for a year.
Local journalists informed SJS that Somaliland police raided his home and arrested him following orders from Somaliland Police Commander Mohamed Adan Saqadhi.
Somaliland police officials have not commented on the circumstances surrounding Shaaciye’s detention.
Shaaciye had previously fled Hargeisa, citing threats from Somaliland’s national intelligence due to his critical posts. He spent nearly a year in Mogadishu.
During his time in Mogadishu, Shaaciye continued his journalistic work, frequently posting on Facebook and other platforms, including reports highlighting police corruption and public complaints about the Somaliland police commander.
On 18 January, Shaaciye was reportedly brought before the Maroodi Jeh Court in Hargeisa, where his detention was extended for a week.
On Wednesday, 22 January, he was released from police custody after the intervention of clan elders and on a condition that he refrains from criticizing the police, local journalists and family members spoke publicly.
Annex 2: Torture and Malnutrition Among Released POWs
Local Medical Teams visiting LasAnod prison found signs of beatings, burns, and psychological trauma of over 400 POWs, as they collected testimonials from six detainees. Survivors described prolonged solitary confinement, lack of food, and physical abuse. According to the families of the POWs, prisoners are frequently blackmailed by their captors in LasAnod in an attempt to turn their desperate situation into a very lucrative business and add that some prisoners have nothing to do with the war in Goojacade, and they were apprehended from nearby rural villages, by SCC militias in a retaliatory act aimed increasing the numbers of POWs to pressure the other party to the war aimed at forcing them to make concessions.
5. Conclusion
The first quarter of 2025 reflected an intensification of Somalia’s human rights crisis, with deepening repression, widespread civilian suffering, and growing humanitarian needs. A failure to reverse these trends risks further entrenching cycles of violence and instability.
6. Recommendations
To the Federal Government of Somalia:
– Immediately cease harassment and arbitrary detention of journalists and political activists.
– Investigate and prosecute allegations of torture of prisoners.
– Ensure military operations comply with international humanitarian law.
To Somaliland Authorities:
– Facilitate independent monitoring of detention conditions.
– Provide medical and psychosocial support to affected prisoners.
To the International Community:
– Prioritize funding for civic space protection and humanitarian aid.
– Demand accountability for human rights violations through diplomatic engagement.
To Humanitarian Actors:
– Expand assistance programs for newly displaced communities.
– Integrate mental health and protection services into emergency responses.
7. References
– Provisional Constitution of Somalia (2012)
– Geneva Conventions (1949), Common Article 3
– International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
– African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights
– Documentation by CSHRD field teams, Q1 2025
– Medical Reports: Burao General Hospital (March 2025)
– Reports from Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), February 2025
CSHRD Human Rights Documentation Unit
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